In Sept. the number of homeless vets was 1,000, the Daily News reported. That's the same number that needed help in February when de Blasio first announced his ambitious goal.

"There's still hundreds of veterans who need help," de Blasio acknowledged Wednesday before participating in the Fifth Ave. parade honoring the military.

"The good news is, we know every single one of them ... We are constantly engaged with them and we have resources, city resources and federal resources, that get each and every one of them into a good home," the mayor said.

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Veterans Day Parade 2015 in New York City

The real problem, he added, is finding a permanent place for each needy individual.

"Everyone knows what's happening in this real estate market. We need to find apartments of any description... We need people to step forward and say, 'I'm happy to rent the apartment I have to a veteran,'" Hizzoner said.

WWII Navy veteran and former Manhattan Court District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau, who is also the parade's grand marshal, delivers his remarks at the opening ceremony. (Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News)

"When you hire a veteran, you're not only doing the right thing, you're not only saying thank you for service to our country, you're hiring someone who has got extraordinary training and preparation, and brings that discipline and focus," the Mayor said.